#dreaming

Grunt. "Few."

"It turned out, a witch did. Perhaps because she was a touch of a nightmare herself, of a subtler hue . She freed us... and we were compelled to go back to the Dreaming rather than slain! The sorceror was defeated! And... then? The sorcerer later died... his slaving ways grown intolerable. His soul snuffed out on cold iron. Never tangle with the same witch twice... she'll win the third every time" The voices harmonize

Siv's brow knits

"That doesn't sound very fair."

"But why do you need Eggy?"

"We do not know whath appened to us, but we know this to be true as when it happened, we gained.. not just knowledge of his fate, but ..intelligencee. We think as well as feel. We ponder philosphies... " he answers the pooka "We are not just aware, but sapient, sentient. And... we know.. we know it will not last. It fades. Far too quickly! Even in the timeless dreaming it spills like sands out of our grasp..trickle trickle trickle... we could walk the silver? How we do not know but we dared..."

Unfair, in response to the part where the Hydra was sent to do other's work.

"Oh." He tugs at Dagmar's sleeve. "He... They? They wants to stay Connor but they're turning into just Buddy." A small frown.

Frown. "Like the Mouse Book, yeah."

"A witch had saved us before. We found another, and she did an omen, an augry and more... she told us a bookwyrm's egg was soon to pass by us. If we devoured it, our minds would be saved. The dream of the unborn making our minds strong enough to last.. to THINK.. no longer a beast"

"But... but it's a baby..."

Siv' says "You need the egg to stay smart"

He takes a step back, behind the dual shields of Siv and Dagmar.

"So it is, but what are we to do? Gwydion? We do not wish to only know the hunt. Only know the rage. Would you not wish to remain more than a beast if a beast you were becoming?"

Siv does indeed position to block

Furrow. "No. But what if there's a different way?"

"if there is a different way we know it not, and likely do not have time to pursue it. "

Siv says "I feel for you, I do but this lilttle guy or gal is... not yours, not ours even"

"Emmitt could fix it..." She looks at Siv and Connor.

"Right? Couldn't he?"

"Emmit could. He's a namer" Siv says "he.. might do so"

"Emmitt is smart... but Murray would poke this guy full of holes before They got to him to ask."

"Not if one of us went with him. Siv? Could you?"

"Do you have a name - I mean, something we can call you? I feel rude calling you They and Them." He asks, politely. "I'm called Connor."

"We do not have a name" the Hydra seems startled, then looks at Connor "You are the first to bother to ask. Before this, we have always been 'Hydra'"

"Beasts don't have names except what they're given. But People do."

A solemn nod. "He needs a People name."

Siv looks at Dagmar "I think much as I hate bailing out on you, you're right. I can vouch for hte poor creature and I know the way"

"We cannot give you the egg, because I am on a quest to see it safely born. But... I do not wish to see you harmed, and we wish to help you. Emmitt, he could find you a Name. With a Name, you should be able to hold onto yourself."

"Emmitt is very powerful in magic, and knows the secrets of Names."

"I..see" the Hydra says "A true name..yes We are aware of them.. how we are aware we do not know. As for a call name, a use name.." The Hydra looks to Connor "What would YOU Call us? Perhaps.. a use name will help us make the journey to this namer?"

He taps his chin and thinks a moment.

"Poor thing" Siv says scratching under the hydra's far left chin

She seems utterly unafraid as she does so. Fiona

"I like the way you talk. You say the same thing at the same time but a little different. Like when a bunch of people sing together and it sounds more special even though they all have different voices? Like a... a..." His brow furrows up. Piper would know. "Ch.. chores. No. Chorus?"

A little smile from Dag, approving.

"Chorus?" The Hydra says "Is that not too pretty a name for a monster such as I?"

"Pretty is as pretty does. My friend Lilly is pretty even though she's a monster, too. If you see her, tell her I said hi, please?"

"Nonsense," Siv says "You're rather handsome" The last head has lulled a bit into a happy doze at the chin scratch. It is clearly not used to KIND touches

"Chorus..." The voices harmonize, the far left head mumbling it "Yes, we like it the more we say it. We are chorus."

He chortles a moment at an inner thought. Golly, what would Piper do if she had a new class and the entire class was a Hydra?

"Chorus, then. Please, take our well-wishes with you. Siv is fearless and charismatic, she will see you safely to the wizard."

"They even have eggs there. CHICKEN eggs." He clarifies. "They might share them if you're nice."

"We thank you, Connor " The Hydra says , then "Thank you, Knights. We we could fight you, but just taking things because we can troubles us as it never did before. It is not enough to exist, if this can help us without costing the life of another, we shall try it, though , beyond a battle we might not survive, we are not sure why it would trouble us so"

Grunt. "Probably a bit of soul. And that's worth saving, I think."

"Or at least a conscience , and intellect without that is far more monstrous than you ever want to be" Siv nods "Come on ,we can go faster if I get to ride you?"

"No one rides a hydra" Chorus says in five levels of afronted, then pauses, "Will you give ALL our heads scratches aafter this? "

Siv grins "Surely"

"Oh , very well.." A look to Connor "Thank you for our name, Connor."

Snerk. Siv.